Foldable chair



y 1, 1969, s. BARKER. JR 3,453,023

v FOLDABLE CHAIR Filed Feb, 1, 196a Sheet, I 01 4 INVENTOR.

Guy Bah/(er Jr: BY

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FOLDABLE'CHAIR July 1, 1969 Sheet Filed Feb. 1. was

v INVENTOR. Gq u Barker, Jr BY ATTOENEYJ United States Patent 3,453,023 FOLDABLE CHAIR Guy Barker, Jr., Brookline, Mass., assignor to Lorraine Industries, Inc., Bridgeport, C0nn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Feb. 1, 1968, Ser. No. 702,335 Int. Cl. A47c /10; A47d 1/02 U.S. Cl. 297-47 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to folding chairs.

Heretofore, it has been proposed to provide a folding chair having a seat frame, a back frame, and front and rear legs so articulated that the frame and legs may be brought into juxtaposed position by swinging the back frame down on the seat frame.

In such chairs, the principal parts were made of wood, the seat frame being the basic unit on which the back frame and legs were pivotally mounted by means of metal brackets secured to the seat frame.

According to the present invention, the parts of the chair, except for the seat and back proper, are made of metal which, in addition to being stronger and more durable than wood, has the advantage of avoiding the shrinking and warping to which the wooden chairs were subjected and which interfered with the proper function of the movable parts. The side and back proper may also be made of metal or preferably plastic material not subject to deterioration as rapidly as wood, and these may be secured to the seat frame and back frame respectively by any suitable and convenient means.

A feature of this invention is the provision of a folding chair in which the back, seat, front leg and rear leg frames are each formed of tubular metal bent to form a U-shaped frame so pivotally connected together as to permit the frames to be brought together in juxtaposed compact position when the back frame is folded down on the seat frame.

By the use of tubular sheet metal pieces for the seat, back and leg frames, it is possible to economically provide the seat frame and back frame with curved terminal portions forming a gentle slope at the junction of these parts, followed generally by an attached bucket seat, to produce a comfortable support for the small of the back of an occupant of the chair. It is also possible, with the use of tubular U-shaped metal pieces, to make the seat frame relatively narrow and form the legs to flare out from the seat frame so that the feet are approximately as wide apart as the seat proper, both from side to side and from back to front.

Notwithstanding that the chair is foldable, when the chair is occupied the seat frame is directly supported by the leg frames and could not swing on their pivotal connections even though closing force were applied to the back frame-a toggle lock being provided between the back frame and the rear leg frame.

When the chair is unoccupied and lifted from the floor, the back frame could swing toward the seat frame, as in folding the chair intentionally, but this cannot be done unintentionally, according to the present invention, because there is provided manually releasable latches between the back frame and the rear leg frame which lock these parts together against folding movement until the latches are released. Since the latches do not bear any of the load of the occupant, they can be made very simply and economically.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the chair made according to the present invention, and showing in broken lines the positions of the parts when the chair is partly folded.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on a line passing through approximately the middle of the chair, the seat proper and the back proper being removed.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the parts shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the folded chair in a self-supporting vertical position.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of adjacent parts of the seat frame, the back frame, and the rear leg frame showing latch means for holding the chair in unfolded condition until manually released to permit folding of the chair.

FIG. 6, is an enlarged plan view, partly in section, showing the pivotal connections between the rear leg frame, the back frame, and the seat frame and a brace, and showing the latch in operative position in full lines and in released position in dotted lines.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the pivotal connections shown in FIG. 6.

Referring to the drawings, the foldable chair of the present invention, as presently preferred, comprises a seat frame 10 having sides 10a secured to a seat 11, a back frame 12 having sides 12a secured to a back rest 13, a front leg frame 14 having legs 14a, and a back leg frame 15 having legs 15a. As shown, each of these frames is made of tubular metal and is, in general outline, U-shape.

The lower portions 12b of the back frame sides 12a are connected respectively to upwardly and rearwardly extending ends 16 of the seat frame by pivots 17 spaced from the ends of the portions 12b of the sides 12a of the back frame 12, so that the back frame may be swung downwardly and forwardly toward the seat frame 10.

A cross bar 19 of the rear leg frame 15 has secured to it at each side a bracket 20. Each bracket 20 has an arm 21 connected to the end of the portion 12b of one of the sides 12a of the back frame by a pivot 22. Each arm 21 has a hole 23 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) positioned to be engaged by a latch pin 24 on a resilient latch arm 25 secured at 26 on each side 10a of the seat frame 10. The latch pins 24 lock the rear leg frame 15 and the back frame 12 in the unfolded position of the chair as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 against unintentional movement relative to the seat frame.

The resilient latch arms 25 are normally biased to engage the bracket 21 and are movedout of engagement therewith by a flexible wire yoke 27 (see FIG. 5), the opposite ends of which project through holes 28 in cars 29 in the arms 25. The center of the yoke 27 is engaged by the end of a rod 30 which has a flat rear end 31 which rides in a slot in a cross brace 32 between the side 10a of the seat frame 10. Near its forward end, the rod 30 rides in a hole in the cross bar 10b of the seat frame 10 and has a finger piece 33 by which it may be drawn forwardly to cause the yoke 27 to yield and withdraw the latch pins 24 from the latch holes 23 in the bracket arms 21 and free the parts for folding movements.

The front leg frame 14 has secured to its cross piece 34 a bracket 35 which is pivotally connected to the sides 10a of the seat frame by pivots 36 so that the front leg frame 14 may swing upwardly and rearwardly toward the seat frame 10.

On each front leg 14a of the frame 14 there is connected at its upper end 37, by a pivot 38, a brace 39, the rear end of which is connected by a pivot 40 to an arm 41 of a bracket 42. The bracket 42 is riveted with the bracket 20 to the cross bar 19. When the lower ends of the portions 12b of the back frame 12 swing backwardly, the upper portion of the rear leg frame 15 is swung rearwardly, and the front leg frame 14 will be swung upwardly and rearwardly as indicated in FIG. 1, ultimately assuming a position close to and substantially parallel with the seat frame as shown in FIG. 4.

The rear leg frame 15 is controlled in its folding movements by braces 43, each connected at one end to one of the legs 15a of the frame 15 by a pivot 44, and at its other end to the adjacent side a of the seat frame 10 by the pivot 36 on which the front leg frame also swings.

Being mounted on the pivoted braces 43, the pivots 44 each forms a floating fulcrum for the rear leg frame which first moves downwardly and then moves upwardly as the rear leg frame swings into parallelism with the seat frame 10 under the influence of the swinging movement of the back frame 12.

The legs 14a of the front leg frame and the legs 15a of the back leg frame have leveling feet 45 on which they stand when the chair is unfolded ready for use. When the chair is folded as shown in FIG. 4, the feet 45 of the front leg frame may rest on the fioor, but the feet on the rear leg frame project upwardly. Therefore, to make the folding chair self-supporting, the brackets are each provided with a flat surface or foot 46 to engage the floor. The linkage between the parts is such that the feet 45 and the feet 46 are spaced sufiiciently to permit the chair to be supported in an upright position when folded against accidental falling over. It is therefore unnecessary, in storing the folding chairs of this invention, to cause them to lean against some other object.

Assuming that the seat frame 10 is held stationary, when it is desired to fold the chair the latch pins 24 on latch arms 25 are released and the top of the back frame 12 is swung downwardly and forwardly, as indicated in FIG. 1, about the back frame pivots 17 toward the seat frame. This causes the lower portions 12b of the back frame to move rearwardly and then upwardly carrying with them the front leg braces 39 and causing the latter to swing the front leg frame 14 upwardly and rearwardly on its pivots 36. At the same time, the lower portions 12b of the back frame, being pivotally connected to the rear leg frame 15, swing the latter upwardly about pivots 44 connected to the rear leg frame brace 43. These movements continue until the back leg frame 15, the back frame 12, the seat frame 10 and the braces 39 and 43 are close together and substantially parallel, as shown in FIG. 4. The front legs 14a of the frame 14, however, are bent rearwardly, as shown in FIG. 1, so as to be disposed at an angle relative to the other frames, so that when the chair is folded, the feet 45 are spaced from the fiat surfaces of the brackets 20 forming feet 46 on the rear leg frame, whereby the folding chair is self-supporting in an upright position on the floor.

In moving to the position shown in FIG. 4, the centers 'of the toggles formed by the braces 39 and the upper portions 37 of the legs 14a would move across the center line of the toggles and thus lock the parts in folded position. However, such movement is prevented by the cross bar 34 of the front leg frame engaging the sides 10a of the seat frame in the final closing movements of the parts, and this engagement of the cross bar and the sides 10a controls the position of the feet 45 relative to the feet 46 when the chair is folded so that it is self-supporting in vertical position.

When the chair is folded, spring clips 47 secured to the sides 10:: of the seat frame engage the cross bar 34 of the front leg frame to yieldingly resist the unintentional unfolding of the parts while the folded chair is handled.

The shapes of the parts and the lengths of the lever arms are such that the back 13 and the seat 11 nest together when the chair is folded, and are located directly above the space between the feet 46 and the feet 45, whereby the center of gravity of the chair in a folded upright position is located substantially between the feet 45 and the feet 46.

The folding operations are conveniently performed by the user grasping the front center portion of the seat 11 with one hand, and after engaging the release bar 33 with the fingers of the same hand to release the latch pins 24 from the holes 23 and grasping the upper portion of the 'back 13 with the other hand, by moving the hands together until the seat is nested with the back, the parts assume the positions shown in FIG. 4.

To unfold the chair for use, the back and the seat are gripped by the hands, as in folding the chair, and the hands are moved apart until the parts assume the position shown in FIG. 1, during which time the reverse of the folding movements takes place and the latches are reengaged.

In the unfolded position shown in FIG. 1, when the chair is occupied the weight applied to the front portion of the seat 11 is supported by the direct engagement of the cross bar 34 of the front leg frame 14 with the sides 10a of the seat frame 10, and the rear portion of the seat frame is supported by direct engagement of the cross bar 19 of the rear leg frame 15 with the rear portions of the sides 10a of the seat frame 10. There is, therefore, no load on the latch pin 24 applied by the weight applied to the seat.

Likewise, if pressure is applied to the back rest 13 and back frame 12 by the occupant of the chair, the force would tend to swing the end portions 12b upwardly on the pivots 17 and this would apply an upward force on the rear leg frame 15, but this cannot move upwardly because of the engagement of its cross bar 19 with the rear portion of the sides 10a of the seat frame. There is, therefore, no load on the latch by force applied to the back by an occupant of the chair.

If, while the chair is being occupied, a force is applied to the back frame which would tend to swing it forwardly on its pivot 17, this would be transferred by the pivots 22 and the brackets 20 on the rear leg frame to the floor, but any such movement would be opposed by the weight of the occupant of the chair.

It will thus be seen that the latch pins 24 are not required to hold the chair unfolded when occupied. However, the latch pins 24 function to prevent unintentional folding of the chair when it is being moved from place to place in unfolded condition. If the latch pins 24 were omitted, lifting the unfolded chair from the floor or sliding it along the floor might cause at least the partial folding of the chair.

While the chair is occupied, even in the absence of the latch pins 24, forward movement of the front leg frame is prevented by the engagement of the cross bar 19 of the rear leg frame with the sides 10a of the seat frame; rearward movement of the front leg frame will tend to lift the weight of the seat and the occupant; forward movement of the rear leg frame would likewise tend to lift the weight of the chair and the occupant; and the backward movement of the rear leg frame would be prevented by the engagement of the cross bar 19 with the sides 10a of the rear of a seat frame which again would be resisted by the weight of the occupant.

I claim:

1. A folding chair having a seat frame; first pivot means at the rear of the seat frame; a back frame pivotally connected intermediate its end to said first pivot means; rear legs; second pivot means at the lower end of the back frame pivotally connecting the upper portion of the rear legs to said back frame whereby, when said back frame is swung forwardly and downwardly toward said seat frame on said first pivot means, the said second pivot means will move the upper portion of the rear legs intermediate their ends about which the legs swing when moved by the back frame; links pivotally connected at their front ends to the seat frame adjacent the front thereof and pivotally connected at their rear ends by third pivot means to said rear legs and forming floating fulcrums for said rear legs as the latter are swung by movement of the back frame whereby the rear legs are moved into parallelism with the seat while the back frame is moved into parallelism with the seat; front legs pivotally connected to the front portion of the seat frame; and links pivotally connected to the front legs and to the top portion of the rear legs whereby, when the rear legs are moved rearwardly by the back frame, the front legs will be swung upward toward the seat frame.

2. A folding chair according to claim 1, in which the said front legs have a connecting cross bar positioned to engage the front portion of the seat frame and support the weight applied by the latter to the front legs.

3. A folding chair according to claim 2, in which the said rear legs have a connecting cross bar positioned to engage the rear portion of the seat frame and support the weight applied by the latter to the rear legs.

4. A folding chair according to claim 1, in which the said rear legs have a connecting cross bar positioned to engage the rear portion of the seat frame and support the weight applied by the latter to the rear legs.

5. A folding chair according to claim 1, in which there are manually releasable latch means between the lower end of the back frame and the rear portion of the seat frame for preventing unintentional folding movement of the back frame on said first pivot means toward the seat frame.

6. A folding chair according to claim 1, in which the pivotal connection between the links connected to the front legs is such that the latter, when swung toward the seat frame, move beyond the position of parallelism with the seat frame and rear legs to space the bottom of the front legs from the top of the rear legs, whereby the chair may be self-supporting in upright folded position by the bottoms of the front legs and the top portions of the rear legs.

7. A folding chair according to claim 1, in which the front legs are integral parts of an inverted U-shape tubular frame, and the rear legs are integral parts of an inverted U-shape tubular frame.

8. A folding chair according to claim 7, in which the seat frame is tubular and U-shape, the base of the U forming the front of the seat frame; and the back frame is tubular and inverted U-shape, the base of which forms the top of the back frame.

9. A folding chair according to claim 1, in which the seat frame is tubular and U-shape, the base of the U forming the front of the seat frame; and the back frame is tubular and inverted U-shape, the base of the U forming the top of the back frame.

10. A folding chair according to claim 1 in which there are yieldable latch means between the seat frame and the front leg frame for releasably holding the chair in folded condition.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,225,306 12/1940 Kovats 297--47 FOREIGN PATENTS 600,010 10/1925 France. 607,196 3/1926 France.

DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner. 

